[Luke45]

Quick ask.
I have had a bout of (unfounded) health anxiety induced insomnia since July 10th. That anxiety dissipated but turned into sleep anxiety. We all know how that goes.
After 10 days I sought care at a local clinic, and the doctor prescribed Zopicline 5mg, 28 doses.
I have used the drug conservatively. Today is the 26th day since getting them and I’ve only used 2/3 of them.
I have been using mostly reduced doses, by breaking the pills.
I have noticed however that after taking some, (regardless of dose) that it seems I can fall asleep before the effect of the drug kicks in (which generally requires about an hour).
I read that in a study Zopiclone was no better than a placebo in 50% of cases for that study.
Has anyone ever taken this stuff, and did you get the same impression, that it is a psychosomatic soothing agent more than anything else?
I CAN fall asleep. That is encouraging.
Should I just flush those things down the toilet.
Yes, I practice sleep window/restriction, bit tend not to employ stimulus control.
Thanks, everyone.

Luke

[Nina84]

Hi !!

From my experience the answer is yes and no . It definitely does help but if insomnia is really bad I found my adrenaline could override them.

If you’re in a big period of struggle having them there may be a security blanket so no harm keeping them just for peace of mind .

Sleeping pills are not the answer but when things are so bad they can give you the peace and the rest to be able to start the proper treatment .

I can’t recommend Martins course enough . What everyone’s stories are mine is the same . The issues are all the same and the results speak for themselves .
This time last year I was in hell . Every minute of the day I thought about sleep . Dreading the evenings . I has failed with another sleep coach only making me worse and feel
More alone . I was missing time
With my baby because I was so stressed feeling if never get better .
When I finished with Martin I was a lot better but thought maybe I’d need to sign up for extra help down
The line as I still had anxiety and the odd sleepless night but I felt much better . Better then I expected .
I’m now back purely because I feel the need to reach out to people every so often as every few months I only get better and more back to my usual self and my old sleep patterns .
Nobody deserves to suffer with sleep !
I actually still have my sleeping pills . I used to take them every night . Sometime a quarter and
Sometimes two depending on how bad I was . I took them solidly for about 4 months . They did help me get over an awful time but the dependence is a band aid and then they stop working it makes you feel worse .
Handy to have now if I can’t sleep for any normal reasons but now they’re normal reasons . Not insomnia and honestly , I don’t need them

[Luke45]

Hey, thank you for your insight. My sleep drive is starting to get more and more noticeable at around the time I have historically been going to bed (which is 11pm to midnight), and my overall anxiety level has come down, versus a month or even a week ago.
I’ve had three big episodes of sleep disturbance in my life, at ages 16, 27, and now 47. All have been precipitated by stress and or anxiety.
So while I’m not new at troubled sleep, it has been quite awhile.
Your thorough reply is kind and honest.
This community is amazing.
Thanks again,
Luke

[Chee2308]

Everything you do to try to sleep IS A PLACEBO. If you haven’t realized this, then you are missing out on a very important lesson. Everyone CAN and WILL sleep, the only question is WHEN. Taking pills or doing other stuff becomes discretionary, it alters nothing and the results become a mixed bag and are entirely random, any connection you then make only exists inside your head and does not reflect the true reality, which is THAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL SLEEP DIRECTLY. Effort is useless when it comes to sleeping, this ability is innate, you were born with it and remains with you until your last day.

[Nina84]

What chee says is true but all that I can say to that is that insomnia in most cases that I know of including mine is brought on by an overload of stress and kept going by anxiety which becomes sleep anxiety .
Help with stress is really the only way to start the process of recovering . Your body will not sleep in fight or flight and it may take some time to peel away the layers.
If a sleeping pill will do that initially to give you the strength and a few nights sleep to get your body into a more restful place to start the process then I think it’s with it and that’s how they should be used . They are not a cure for insomnia but they did help me alongside the real help but they are not a solution on their own and must be used wisely . They can work against you if you carry on using them as you can then think you can’t sleep without them and that is not true .

Managing stress is key . Again martins course is great because all Elements are included . Sleep hygene wasn’t a thing which worked for me either as it added more of a build up to sleep which added to the anxiety !

[Lozelise]

I find they are very useful. I think that’s why they are so frowned upon, it’s because they work so well. While there is a placebo element, they make me so zonked I have no chance of my anxiety overiding its effects. The real issue is they become the fix for me after a bad night because I’ve lost the confidence in myself to believe I can recover on my own after a very bad sleep- and I’m usually very desperate not to make it consecutive nights. So I end up in this on and off pattern with them. I think working through the difficult nights and building that confidence on your own is key to making real progress. However, they can be very helpful at ensuring you can show up in your best form if you have something really important and meaningful the next day. I don’t really believe they are pure placebo though, they genuinely do make you extremely drowsy.

[josefinee]

For me, Zopicline was all placebo. After hours of trying to sleep I took the pill and I almost always fell asleep within five minutes, there’s no way the effect would kick in that fast. I could feel the relief in my body and mind after making the decision to once again take the pill at night, and not to have to lay awake for several hours with anxiety.

I’m so happy that I stopped taking them!

[Luke45]

So last night was the first night that I didn’t struggle very much, in the absence of taking a sleeping pill. I actively chose to not take a Zopiclone.

It was not a night of uninterrupted sleep. In fact, I had very little sleep, as far as I can tell, however I employed the ACT-I approach of accepting the feelings driving my body’s response and as a result, I was very calm throughout the night. And I’m feeling very calm this morning.

This is a good step in the right direction.

Love you all.

Luke

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